The year 2015 marked the 10th anniversary of the Global Shelter Cluster, the inter-agency coordination mechanism for shelter response. During these ten years, coordination has improved in consistency, shelter responses have grown in scale, and there are more people with experience in shelter programming, but people continue to lose their dwellings and be displaced due to conflict and natural disasters. Global humanitarian shelter needs continue to greatly exceed the capacity and resources to respond.

East Africa has been hit by the worst drought it has seen for fifty years. Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller has pledged an additional 100 million euros for those facing hunger. At a conference on Wednesday, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Sigmar Gabriel urged the international community to make available more money.

Recent floods in Somalia's central Hiran region bordering Ethiopia has caused displacement and created urgent humanitarian needs. At least 70 000 people have been displaced around the town of Beletweyne alone.

The community-led early warning system worked well with only three reported deaths in Beletweyne so far. However, the town centre is completely flooded, including a hospital, schools and other infrastructure.